I received product from Colgate-Palmolive to facilitate this post.  All opinions are my own.

All my life, I’ve dreamed of having a big family.  When asked how big, I’d always say that I wanted a dozen kids.  Sadly, I ended up having c-sections so we had to stop at five.  While I love each of our five children dearly, I have no doubt that we would have continued to have at least a couple more had my doctor not been concerned about how thin my uterus was last time.  But since we also currently do foster care, we sometimes have up to eight children in our home.  And with or without the extras, some people consider us to be “a big family”.

A Day In The Life Of Our Family

Most days start the same.  Since we home school, I love not having to rush everyone in the mornings.  Our oldest son is a morning person and is usually up by 6.  But everyone else prefers a slightly later start time so they straggle down between 7:30 and 8:30.  Our current foster baby is a great sleeper (now) so he tends to only wake about 8.

First up, the animals need their breakfast.  The kids are in charge of the house cat, house dog, ponies, and their brand new calf that a neighbor gave them.  So they head on out and get everyone outside some fresh water, feed, and milk replacer.  When the weather is nice, they also take the ponies out for a walk and brushing.

Back inside, it’s time to give the house pets fresh water, top off their food, and check the litter box.  Since we have the Litter Robot, that last chore has become no big deal!  The kids just check to make sure the drawer doesn’t need emptying and sweep up any litter that Rosie may have displaced.  Then, it’s time to wash up!  Cleaning up those hands before breakfast is super important.

Once the kids have washed up with the help of Softsoap, it’s time for breakfast.  Sometimes we eat a big hot breakfast and sometimes it’s cold cereal or a smoothie.  It just depends on the schedule and how ambitious I’m feeling.

Then they wash up again and get busy with school.  While we do follow a curriculum for the kids, I also love to include lots of hands on learning fun.  Combining a variety of ways to practice and learn skills helps keep things fresh and fun.

Next up is lunch!  So we clean up any school work, activities, projects, and crafts and, you guessed it, wash up!

After lunch is reserved for finishing up any school lessons that may be left and then free playing.  Depending on the weather, we will either play games in the house or head outside.  Now that spring has finally seemed to hit here in MN, we enjoy riding bike, playing in the sandbox, visiting parks, and whatever else the kids come up with.  Getting down and dirty is part of the joys of childhood so the sky is the limit!

The day rounds out with supper, more play time, straightening up the house and washing up before bed.

SoftSoap

Thanks to Softsoap, we always have the bliss of spa treatment freshness next to every sink in our home.  The kids always know that any time they need to, they can head over and wash up.  And the new Softsoap Hydra Bliss Hand Soap in Coconut Water & Blueberry and Cucumber Water & Mint are the perfect new additions.  The hydrating formula helps to retrain skin’s natural moisture while leaving hands feeling soft and smooth.

Buy It: Head over to Softsoap to see for yourself the great selection of collections and products they offer. This fantastic new lineup is now available and you can find it at mass retailers, drug stores, and Softsoap.com.

Connect: Don’t forget to like Softsoap on Facebook for all the latest news and promotions.

Miranda

I’m a city girl turned country by my awesome husband and we have three busy boys and two darling daughters. I love spending time with my family, reading Karen Kingsbury novels, and catching up with friends while our kiddos have play dates. I’m blessed beyond measure and can’t wait to see what God has in store.
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